India seek redemption as England arrive for ODI series

New Delhi: The England squad arrived for the ODI series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Tuesday and left for a hotel.

It will be time before Indian cricket team recovers from the abject humiliation they suffered at the hands of England. Not only were they dismantled from the perch of Test rankings but were also outplayed in the shorter format as well.

It is another fact that they are the World Champions in the 50-over format and their loss in the ODI series can, at best, be termed as a cocktail of being on the wrong side of the fence as the weather played hide and seek and a host of injuries to their premier players, that worked in tandem with the in-form English squad to pile burgeoning miseries on their wretched tour.

However, they have a chance to regain their pride, at least in the shorter formats of the game as England is in India to play five ODIs and one T20 match.

Even though, the team would be missing the services of senior batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar ,Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, much would be expected from the bowling department that will be without the pace spearhead of Zaheer Khan and spinner Harbhajan Singh.

The sub-continent tracks are known for their dislike of bowlers while giving ample opportunities for the willow-wielders to smash bowlers all across the park.

Good news is that Gautam Gambhir, who suffered concussions during the Test series against England, and subsequently had to return back, is fit and will be in the squad.

Indian cricket team announced for the first two ODIs sports a significantly different and much younger look than compared to the one that won the coveted ICC world championships trophy this year. The leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the enthusiasm of younger blood would be under severe scrutiny. The onus would be on them to prove their worth both as a player and present their case for being the heir to the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman.

England will be without two of their strong performers James Anderson (rested) and Stuart Broad (injured), who were at the forefront of the England’s dominance over India.

The tour starts from Saturday when England will play two practice matches at Hyderabad and the first ODI will be played on October 14. The tour concludes with a lone T20 match to be played at Eden Gardens on October 29.